Tim Benz Columns category, Page 40

On Feb. 29, Pittsburgh Steelers general manager Omar Khan said he has “full faith” in Kenny Pickett. Steelers GM Omar Khan says he has "full faith" in Kenny Pickett pic.twitter.com/p3Ooefacoi— Brooke Pryor (@bepryor) February 29, 2024 Now it’s March 15, and last year’s starting quarterback is a Philadelphia Eagle. If...

When it comes to the Pittsburgh Penguins’ stolen Jaromir Jagr bobbleheads, the No. 1 suspect in the case has already claimed responsibility. pic.twitter.com/URnlHouZIu— Gritty (@GrittyNHL) March 14, 2024 However, that just seems too obvious. The Flyers already stole the real Jagr once in 2011. Do they really need to...

Friday’s “First Call” features a new home for ex-Steeler Devin Bush, the prospect of Tyler Boyd returning to Pittsburgh, Jake Guentzel’s first point in Carolina, and a pair of huge wins for Pitt and Duquesne. See you soon Devin Bush is coming back to the AFC North. The ex-Steelers linebacker...

The Steelers’ signing of quarterback Russell Wilson seems to have made a lot of folks in Pittsburgh very happy. Perhaps the two people who are the most excited about it are Penguins coach Mike Sullivan and Penguins general manager Kyle Dubas. Because with everyone talking about Wilson coming to Pittsburgh,...

Thursday’s “First Call” features a Pittsburgh Steelers defensive lineman defecting to the New England Patriots. The Steelers are making a rules change proposal. A former Pitt star is returning to a familiar NFL destination. And an AFC North rival is trying to wedge his way out of town. No Wattage...

When it comes to the Pittsburgh Steelers signing quarterback Russell Wilson, two things are clear: • Almost everybody in Pittsburgh seems to love it. • Almost everybody in Pittsburgh seems to hate me because I don’t love it as much as all of they do. It’s not like I’m opposed...

The trade of wide receiver Diontae Johnson has refocused the list of needs for the Pittsburgh Steelers coming out of the first wave of free agency. Like many Steelers fans, I was fixated on the center position because last year’s starter, Mason Cole, was let go in advance of free...

Wednesday’s “First Call” features Baltimore’s reaction to Patrick Queen’s departure for the Pittsburgh Steelers. Patrick Peterson is angling for a return. The Steelers are looking at potentially the top center in the draft. And the Yankees are worried about Gerrit Cole’s arm. Ruffling Raven feathers Apparently Patrick Queen’s decision to...

I certainly thought that there was a lot to like about Patrick Queen when he entered the league in 2020. There is still a lot to like now that the Pittsburgh Steelers have reportedly signed him away from the Baltimore Ravens four seasons later. Yes, even though the Steelers had...

There was nothing out of the ordinary about Saturday’s postgame press conference for Duquesne basketball coach Keith Dambrot. It was a pretty basic Q&A about the events that led to his team’s 67-65 win over George Washington. But by the end of the press conference, Dambrot did seem a bit...

Tuesday’s “First Call” clues us in as to who was pushing to get Russell Wilson signed in Pittsburgh. The former Denver Broncos quarterback was angling for a wrinkle in his contract that he couldn’t get. The Steelers are hunting for tackle prospects in the draft but are missing out on...

Upon further review, I made a mistake in how I interacted with many Pittsburgh Steelers fans online in the wake of the team signing former Denver Broncos quarterback Russell Wilson on Sunday night. I repeatedly said that he’ll probably — probably — be a better option this year than Kenny...

More Mason Rudolph with the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2024? I’m not quite sure how or why Rudolph would want to do this, but at least one report is suggesting that he may want to come back to Pittsburgh even if both Russell Wilson and Kenny Pickett are on the Steelers...

Watching the Pittsburgh Penguins in March this year has been like watching the Pirates in August most years. They are bad. They are out of it. And they are playing like they know it. What’s next at PPG Paints Arena? It’s probably too dangerous to shoot off Zambelli fireworks displays...

Monday’s “First Call” has a scathing review of quarterback Russell Wilson. He reportedly agreed to sign with the Pittsburgh Steelers Sunday night. The trade market is soft for Bears quarterback Justin Fields. A potential veteran addition along the Steelers defensive line is off the table. And we look at the...

The Pittsburgh Steelers are reportedly signing former Denver Broncos quarterback Russell Wilson. During this week’s “Madden Monday” podcast, Mark Madden of 105.9 The X and TribLIVE said that the organization should have gone in a different direction. “They should be getting Kirk Cousins right now,” Madden said. “If you get...

Jake Guentzel was traded away from the Pittsburgh Penguins to the Metropolitan Division rival Carolina Hurricanes on Thursday. In return, general manager Kyle Dubas got one established NHL forward in Michael Bunting. The rest of the return was three prospects (Ville Koivunen, Vasily Ponomarev and Cruz Lucius) and conditional first-round...

As the Duquesne basketball team prepares for its regular-season finale against George Washington on Saturday, head coach Keith Dambrot is not yet ready to say if it will be his last home game as the leader of the Dukes’ program. Dambrot is 65 years old and has won 523 NCAA...

In Friday’s “First Call,” we have some fallout on the Jake Guentzel trade from the Pittsburgh Penguins to the Carolina Hurricanes. We also have comments from Mitch Trubisky on his departure from Pittsburgh, news of Kevin Dotson’s whopper of a new contract in Los Angeles, and details of Chuks Okorafor’s...

When it comes to fan reaction to the Steelers and Penguins, just by the tone, you can always tell which team is in season and struggling versus which is in the offseason and preparing to reboot. Based on the feedback I’m getting, hockey fans are fed up with the Pens...

Based on what NFL on CBS reporter Aditi Kinkhabwala said on 93.7 The Fan Wednesday, the Steelers coaching staff is taking all the criticism of Kenny Pickett to heart. “There was a lot of chatter at the Combine doubting Kenny Pickett,” Kinkhabwala told hosts Andrew Fillipponi and Chris Mueller. “And,...

We begin Thursday’s “First Call” the same way we ended Wednesday night. That’s waiting for the Penguins to trade Jake Guentzel. At least there is an update on that front. We get into some recent struggles for Sidney Crosby. Mitch Trubisky has a new home. A former Pitt Panther is...

Bill Hillgrove retired after 30 years as the voice of the Pittsburgh Steelers last week. However, he will remain as the play-by-play man of the Pitt football and men’s basketball teams. He has been a part of both of those broadcasts for more than 50 years. The news of Hillgrove’s...

We’ve experienced that kind of Penguins game at this point on the calendar many times before at PPG Paints Arena. And prior to that, at Mellon Arena. That type of game a few days before the trade deadline, where the outcome of one contest felt significantly less important than what...

Wednesday’s “First Call” looks to provide some clues as to what may happen with Penguins forward Jake Guentzel before Friday’s trade deadline. We also advance some discussion about the Steelers potentially holding onto a wide receiver and perhaps missing out on a free-agent tight end. There were some NFL franchise...